'American Idol' 2013 Season 13 Update: Nigel Lythgoe Fired Following Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey & Randy Jackson Exits
One of American Idol's original show producers, Nigel Lythgoe, revealed on June 8 that he was fired from Fox after 12 seasons with the singing competition.
Lythgoe, who has been with the show since season 1 premiered, shared the news on Twitter.
"Just had 10 days in the Bahamas, rain everyday. I get back to the States and get fired. Sad!" he tweeted. He added that his relationship with FOX has not completely gone sour - he remains the executive producer, and judge, for So You Think You Can Dance.
"Yes, don't worry. I'm on #SYTYCD. Fox still loves me," he also wrote on the social media site.
FOX later confirmed the news that Lythgoe and the show's other executive producer, Ken Warwick, will not return. The network released a statement, saying the following:
"The passion and dedication that Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick brought to American Idol guided the show to become a true cultural phenomenon. While we are saddened they will no longer be executive producers on the show, we are grateful for their tremendous contributions and look forward to continuing to work with them on additional projects."
Lythgoe came to the United States in 2002 to work on the launch of Idol with fellow British counterpart Simon Cowell. He took a hiatus as executive producer for season 8 and season 9, but returned for seasons 10 through 12.
The firings came amid a drop in the show's ratings. Season 12 of Idol had a whopping 33 percent drop compared to one year ago, according to Us Weekly.
An insider told the magazine that Lythgoe's and Warwick's firings were because the network is "totally revamping the show for next season."
"They want to freshen up the entire enterprise from top to bottom," a source said.
Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj have confirmed that they too will not return to the judges' table for season 13 of Idol. Keith Urban has yet to confirm if he will return or not.
Enstars reported that a source close to the situation said "all four (judges) are gone" because the FOX network feels "they've lost their core audience and they want it back." Another source close to the show confirmed the report to E! News, saying all four judges are "definitely gone" from FOX's singing competition.
"Everyone is getting fired," a source told FOX411's Pop Tarts. "Although Mariah [Carey] insists she quit, she was always in trouble for not being critical enough and being too boring...Keith [Urban] is just a bore and with Randy is what like, whatever. Time for new energy."
E! News on May 24 cited sourced that confirmed Jennifer Hudson has signed on to be a judge for the show's fall season. According to the insider, the show is considering returning to the three-judge format and they are also considering other successful former Idol alumns. The second seat is likely reserved for Kelly Clarkson and the third seat will go to either Adam Lambert or Clay Aiken.
Season 13 auditions will begin July 11, according to americanidol.com.